research
- Technology and participation in policy
Governments sometime implement websites to facilitate citizen participation in policy-decision making. At the federal, provincial and agency level in Canada these participation architectures may include consultation portals, designated e-mail listservs, or web conferences. Citizens sometimes also design their own digital spaces to participate politically. Facebook groups, blogs and citizen-designed discussion forums have been extensively used for this purpose.
At the pilot stage of my work, I am currently exploring how institutionalized political consultation and grassroots participation may meet in a web 2.0 environment. Current research includes examination of existing architectures and content. My research also considers the Metronauts/Metrolinx case study where government and citizen-initiated approaches to policy participation are connecting here in Toronto.
• Project document for pilot research with Metronauts and map use: Participant information and consent sheet PDF [97 KB]
- Multimedia biographies and memory
Under Dr. Ron Baecker, I am working to analyze video data from a project where individuals with alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment and their care-givers were provided with research support to produce multimedia biographies. Qualitative analysis of the video data of the biography premieres and follow-up screenings are underway to understand the impact of the project in areas such personal identity and support for patients who have experienced challenges with their memories.
- Photoblogging for change
As part of a course on user-centered design and through a St. Michael's Hospital research project, I carried out evaluation research for the National Film Board of Canada’s Filmmaker-in-Residence (FIR) photoblogging workshops. The workshops are for young women who are pregnant or parenting, have experience with homelessness, and wish to express themselves creatively. FIR is a revival of the NFB's Challenge for Change tradition from the 1960s, and attempts to apply the participatory media techniques in the digital age. I am still exploring the data to examine themes such as design, participation, political action, and health in relation to activism and the social determinants of health.
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